


Coming Back to This Place

by dearmrsawyer



Series: pokémon au [4]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pokemon Fusion, Farm fic, Gen, Harry takes the boys home
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-16
Updated: 2019-09-16
Packaged: 2020-10-19 13:34:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20658080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dearmrsawyer/pseuds/dearmrsawyer
Summary: Harry brings the boys home to his family farm. A sequel toYou Teach Me and I'll Teach You.





	Coming Back to This Place

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sarcangel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sarcangel/gifts), [heartofthesunrise](https://archiveofourown.org/users/heartofthesunrise/gifts).

> For Angela and MJ who cultivated the new trend of farm fic that we all deserve. Here's my small contribution.
> 
> [Here](http://bit.ly/2DXdyZ9) you can find a doc with the names and images of every pokemon mentioned in this series, for those who need it.

They’ve been driving along a dirt road through endless fields for twenty minutes, and still haven’t arrived.

“I thought you said you lived in Viridian City?” Louis coughs through a throat-full of dust. He winds his window back up.

“I did! Well, Route 1, really. But we’re only just outside the city.”

“We were ‘just outside the city’ half an hour ago. We’re halfway to Pallet Town by now.”

“It’ll be another hour or so before Pallet Town,” Zayn says. He’s squeezed in between Louis and Liam in the backseat, his shoulder pressed right up against Louis’. Harry turns around in the passenger seat, eyes bright.

“You know your way around Route 1?”

“My family are from Pallet.”

“Zayn!”

“Harry, can you keep your eyes ahead, I got no idea where I‘m going here,” Niall says from the driver’s seat. He raps his knuckles against Harry’s arm, prompting him to straighten up. Eevee, sat neatly in Harry’s lap, lifts her front paws eagerly onto the dashboard.

“It’s literally just one long road,” Liam points out.

“How am I supposed to know which one of these farms to turn off onto?” Niall snaps. He’d lost his patience with them all partway through the trip when Louis insisted they make a pit stop for snacks; once they’d gotten going again, Zayn had realised no one remembered the pretzels he asked for, and then just minutes after their second stop, Harry had asked if they could have a bathroom break.

“It’s here! Take the next turn.”

Niall turns onto an even dustier road, and the three in the back jostle against each other. The fields on either side of them look much the same as all the rest, but Eevee starts chirping, bouncing in Harry’s lap. She leaps into the backseat, runs across everyone’s legs, and then jumps back in the front and into Niall’s lap. He swerves frantically when Harry tries to grab Eevee.

“I said no pokémon in the car!” Niall roars as Harry manages to take a vibrating Eevee back, and the car straightens out. “_This_ is why I said no pokémon!”

“But she’s never been in her ball that long,” Harry frowns. “She’s just excited, we haven’t been home in ages.” Niall mutters a long string of indecipherable words under his breath.

Louis, who finds any occasion in which Niall is the grumpiest of the group endlessly amusing, bites down on his laughter for fear of drawing Niall’s wrath away from Harry and onto him.

They pass a herd of Miltank grazing on the left, and a large red barn spilling hay bales on the right. The dirt road stretches right up to the foot of a tidy farmhouse with a timber deck and flowering pots hung from the rafters. Atop the house is a Dodrio-shaped wind spinner that is utterly still.

As soon as they come to a stop, Harry opens the door and Eevee is off like a shot into the fields. They all clamber out and make a big show of stretching their cramped limbs.

Liam frowns at Harry, who’s bending down to touch his toes. “What are _you_ stretching for? You rode shotgun.”

Before he can answer, a new voice shouts, “I told you to call me with your arrival time!”

The front door to the porch squeaks open and a woman with dark hair, loose-fitting jeans and rolled up sleeves rushes out to wrap herself around Harry.

“Hi mum,” he says, muffled into her hair.

“You didn’t call.”

“We had to make a few stops, wasn’t sure exactly what time we’d get here.” Harry glances at a scowling Niall over his mother’s shoulder.

She holds him out at arm’s length. “Are you going to introduce me to your friends?”

“Right, this is Liam, Louis, Niall and Zayn.” He points to each of them in turn. Niall steps forward to shake her hand, and the rest of them scramble forward as if they too had always intended such manners.

“Everyone, this is my mum, Anne,” Harry grins, seeing through their charade immediately. “Mum, Liam’s family owns the gym in Pewter City.”

“Has he managed to win a badge off you yet, Liam?”

“Not yet, ma’am.”

“I haven’t tried yet,” Harry rolls his eyes.

“We’re training him up first,” Louis claps Harry on the back. “Make sure he has his best shot.”

Anne’s eyes twinkle with amusement. “Well please come get settled, we’ve got plenty of room and sandwiches.”

“What about Eevee?” Zayn asks as the others make their way gratefully inside.

“She knows her way around,” Harry assures him.

The house is one level but sprawling, with easily enough room for all of them. It’s got the lived-in feel of a multigenerational family home, and more framed photos than wall space. The light fixtures are all glass shades and the hardwoods floors are bare until they reach the bedrooms. There’s a faded paisley rug that runs the length of the hall and an individual rug in each room. Louis races past Liam to claim the first double bed in sight, and out in the hall Harry is trying desperately to pull the door closed on his childhood bedroom. Zayn has a foot lodged in the doorway and is yelling out everything he can see through the crack.

“The Marill ears on the headboard!”

“Get out!”

“Oh my god, the _Mareep night light_!”

Soon enough they’ve worked their way through most of the sandwiches Anne generously set out for them and she takes a seat by Harry.

“Do you work at the gym with your family, Liam?”

He nods through his mouthful and conscientiously swallows. “I help with the upkeep of the battlefield. Only just started battling in the last couple of years.”

“Do your pokémon battle?”

“Mostly my dad’s, but I’ve started training mine up.”

“Liam’s been letting me train with him too, to help get me ready,” Harry says, flexing one arm, which Anne squeezes with mocking astonishment. Louis observes a similar kindness between their faces, and the way they each scrunch their noses with affection.

“And what do the rest of you do?”

“Pokémon Centre,” Louis says.

Niall raises his hand. “Ranger.”

“Pokémon food developer,” Zayn says.

“Quite the collections of skills, and a lot for you to learn from,” she smiles at her son.

“We’re very invested in Harry’s education.” Louis reaches over the table to ruffle Harry’s hair.

Harry leans out of his reach, furiously finger-combing it back into place. “Louis’ mum owns the Pokémon Centre where I work.”

“And how’s he doing?” Anne whispers behind her hand.

Louis whispers back, “Between you and me, he’s not so bad, once he stopped getting distracted by all the fluffy tails.”

“You haven’t had to treat any Spearow, have you?” Anne grimaces, and Harry’s downturned face grows quite pink.

“No, mum.”

“What’s wrong with Spearow?” Liam asks with concern.

“They come picking around the farm quite a lot. Harry was swooped as a boy, poor thing.”

Harry looks like he wants to drop down a Diglett hole. Niall snickers but Liam just lays a comforting hand on his shoulder, saying, “My cousin got a scar up his left arm when a Spearow swooped him for walking near its tree. They’re rough.”

“Thanks Liam,” Harry mumbled.

The Hoot Hoot clock suspended above the door chimes the hour, and Louis excuses himself to make a quick call to his mum. He returns to find everyone on their feet and Niall wearing his Ranger hat. It fits snug around his head and pushes comically at the tops of his ears.

“We’re off for a tour, you coming?”

“What’s the pest situation like on this sort of farm?” Louis asks Harry as nonchalantly as possible.

Zayn snickers. “I’m sure Eevee can protect you from bug types, it’s her turf. Come on.” He grabs Louis by the elbow and they follow Harry out the door.

He leads them down to the paddock with a herd of grazing Miltank. They’re modest in stature with two harmless horns atop their heads, little more than bumps really. There are a few dozen altogether, with some variation in size and age. The younger Miltank seem to linger in the middle of the herd, loosely barricaded by the larger ones. A couple of them peek meekly at the visitors through their mothers’ legs. After receiving Harry’s assurances that they are in fact as docile as they appear, Niall eagerly jumps the fence for a closer look. Louis and Liam each have a leg straddling the fence when something catches the herd unawares, and they suddenly charge in their direction.

Liam wraps both arms around the wooden beam like it’s suspended over a 50-foot gorge and Louis tips so far back in alarm that he loses his balance and lands flat on his back. Niall shrieks, diving under the fence for the quickest escape and getting a mouthful of dirt.

A strip of rustling grass cuts through the field, past the Miltank and up to the fence. Eevee pops up, jumping at Harry’s leg, her tongue lolling happily. Zayn’s hands are braced against his own knees, doubled over in laughter.

“They didn’t get anywhere near you,” he cries.

Niall gets furiously to his feet, brushing ineffectually at the fresh dirt stains on his jeans. “They charged!”

“They’re barely four feet.”

“They’ve got heft!”

It takes Harry five minutes to convince Niall that it’s safe to pat the Miltank, and only after Zayn goes first. Zayn strokes his hand down the spine of a Miltank Harry has lured forward with a handful of hay.

“You’re very at ease,” Harry smiles as Zayn runs three fingers up between the Miltank’s eyes. It noses curiously at him, likely at the ever-present whiff of pokémon food that lingers on all his clothes.

“Grew up around farms. My grandpa owned a berry farm but his neighbours owned a few Miltank. I used to feed them. Milked one of them once.”

“You wanna try milking one of these guys? They’re very mild mannered.”

“Think I’d rather see Niall have a go.”

“Don’t push it,” Niall warns, hand stuttering back and forth until it finally lands lightly on the Miltank’s rump. He gives it a few stiff pats, then flinches violently when a muscle twitches beneath the skin. His cheeks flush as Zayn laughs. “I vote Louis does the milking,” Niall says in a clear effort to divert attention off himself.

“Do you think this is my first rodeo?” Louis scoffs. “You got a bucket handy, young Harold?”

Harry, who’s face suggests both caution and a fervent need to see how this would play out, nods towards the barn. “This way.”

The others practically trip over each other in their haste; Louis follows while rolling up his imaginary sleeves. Despite expectations, the barn is much more than a collection of hay bales. There is indeed a mountain of hay in a loft above them, but the interior of the barn is robust, not at all consistent with the rustic exterior. The ground is a combination of earth and concrete strips, and there’s some unidentifiable but intimidating machinery at the back. Along the right wall is a raised platform that runs the entire length of the barn with a ramp at one end. Its closed in by a few metal rods, and there are a line of four-pronged tubes hanging just below the platform.

Against the left wall are a series of much more traditional looking stalls broken up by wooden frames. Harry leads one of the larger Miltank, who is still passively chewing on some grass, to the nearest one.

To the group’s general dismay, Louis smoothly collects a modest layer of milk at the bottom of his bucket.

“Have you actually done this before?” Harry marvels. Behind him, Niall in particular seems rather sour over Louis’ success. No doubt he was hoping for Louis to get a lapful of spilt milk for his efforts.

“We use their milk at the Centre sometimes, it’s got great healing properties. Mum took me to visit a farm once and we got to have a go.”

Just as he stands to bask in his own success, Niall says, “Hey Harry, how do the Miltank do with unfamiliar pokémon around?” He’s flipping a pokéball in one hand, confidence suddenly quite renewed. “These guys have been cooped up since we left home.”

“Hold on, who’ve you got there?” Louis backs up against the wall.

“Oh they’re fine with it!” Harry beams. “Pokémon from the neighbouring farms get loose all the time, they’re used to new faces. Growlithe’ll be on guard for anything that bothers the herd.”

“Great, Caterpie might enjoy the change of scenery.”

“Don’t you dare,” Louis warns.

He’s halfway out the door before Niall’s even thrown the pokéball. Behind him he can hear Harry say, “Come on, Zayn, we’ve got some berry trees too.”

Louis lingers on the far side of the paddock while the others complete the tour. A flock of Mareep from the neighbouring farm approach the fence with gentle curiosity; Jolteon, who is elated to be free of his pokéball, noses at one particularly fluffy Mareep through the fence. A little spark zaps between their noses, and Mareep trills happily.

The trees cast long shadows as the afternoon wears on. They’d left later than Niall would’ve liked, but with all the stops they were well past their intended time of arrival. Anne’s Growlithe, who’s key responsibility is to protect the herd, keeps a wary eye on Phanpy, who seems overcome by the wide-open spaces. Her Rollout cuts lines through the long grass like innocuous crop circles and Liam chases after her while anxiously glancing at Growlithe.

Zayn, after asking permission, is eagerly collecting berries from the trees at the edge of the property in the pool of his tee.

“How’d Anne get her hands on these?” he gapes at a berry Louis’ never seen the likes of before. It’s golden and flecked.

“She bought some sprouts on holiday in Goldenrod City. Mr Hargraves across the way says they don’t grow outside the Johto region.”

“Can’t wait to test these in some recipes.”

Just above their heads, Teddiursa is wrapped around a low hanging branch and munching on a berry of his own. The trees are topped with Pidgey, and Louis keeps his distance from one particular tree, where Caterpie has attached itself to the trunk.

***

That night Anne generously serves them all dinner as well. Louis helps himself to two servings and then wanders the hall while the others prepare for bed to ease his stretched stomach. The house quietens as door after door squeak closed, but there’s one room still spilling light onto the hallway rug. Louis finds Harry stood in the middle of it, bare toes wiggling on the rug and fingers tapping at his phone.

“Zayn wasn’t kidding about those Marill ears.”

Harry’s head snaps up to see Louis leant against the doorframe, arms and ankles crossed.

“They’re from when I was a kid,” he mumbles, plugging his phone in to charge.

“Never felt the need to redecorate once you grew up?”

“Guess I was always focused on other things,” Harry sighs with some measure of acceptance that his childhood bedroom has finally been breached. He slides backwards across his bed until he can rest against the wall.

Louis’ eyes wash over the room. The walls are adorned with promotional posters for many of the different pokémon leagues around the country. One for the Kanto League, the Orange League, one poster of an oversized Charizard filling an entire stadium, roaring fire into the sky.

“So how’s it feel?”

“How’s what feel?” Louis answers absently.

“Being as far from home as you’ve ever been.”

Their eyes meet as Louis shrugs. “Doesn’t seem that big a deal.”

“It’s a pretty big deal,” Harry advises. “Maybe not as big a deal as the fact that we’re only a couple of hours from your home, and it’s still the farthest you’ve ever been.”

“Well excuse me, Mr Cross-country-adventurer.”

“But don’t you want to see more of the world?”

“So far this all looks quite a lot like home. If it’s just more home, I’m not sure why it’s such a big deal to leave.”

“You don’t really think that,” Harry scoffs. “What about the Orange Archipelago? The Desert Ruins?”

“I’m happy where I am, Harry,” Louis grins. Harry’s nostrils have begun to flair like they often do when Louis will refuse to see his way. It’s wonderfully gratifying.

“Well I want to see all of it.”

“Guess you’ll just have to let me know how it is.”

Harry still doesn’t seem quite satisfied, but that is, in Louis’ professional opinion, the risk to being wrong. He _is_ a trainer, after all.

Louis circles the small room, stopping in front of Harry’s bookshelf, which holds a framed photo of a sweaty man with hair and wristbands. He has one arm around the shoulders of a very, very small boy with big blue eyes and two prominent front teeth. The man’s other hand is wrapped around a metal rod Louis recognises as the Kanto League Torch. In the week leading up to every league, the torch is carried across the region and dominates the news, despite being an annual, and therefore fairly regular event. In the photo, Harry and the torchbearer are stood in the middle of the road, and a crowd lines the street on each side. There even appears to be a police escort in the back. Harry looks like it had been the highlight of his short life so far.

“Speaking of, you planning to get back to it all anytime soon?” Louis asks, nodding towards the posters.

Present-day Harry is still sat on his bed, hands folded in his lap. “Why?” he smirks. “You sick of having me for a colleague?”

“Though I’m loath to admit it, I meant what I said to your mum earlier. You do good work at the Pokémon Centre, and it _may_ be something of an asset to have you around. But this has clearly been a lifelong dream of yours, looks like. The league won’t wait forever.”

Harry hums, and a dimple carves out its place in his cheek. “Think maybe I’m right where I should be right now.”

“Is that so.”

“The league isn’t going anywhere. Being at the pokémon centre is doing me good, and it’ll help me be a better trainer. The league can wait a while longer.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! You can find the tumblr post [here](https://dearmrsawyer.tumblr.com/post/187744223658).


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